I have a jetlagged toddler...aaaargh!

[PavlovtheRedNosedReindeer]

I am in New York. yey hey! It has been snowing hard, and the apartment block where my BIL lives looks wonderful, lights over the wroght iron fence, white lights in the grounds, and in the lobby there is a nativity play with lights and a tree.

We arrived at 11:45 NY time, which is 4:30am UK time. DD slept on the plane for 3 hours, and then in the car in the some of the 45 min drive from Newark into NYC, via a burger place for DH!

Then, nothing since. AAARGH. She is wide awake, and very into everything. We were going to be staying in a hotel at the aiport this eve (or last night?) but BIL wanted to come get us. So, currently, DH, BIL, SIL, cousin aged 2 and cousin aged 6 are all fast asleep. DD wants to play the piano, the whinnie the pooh train, everything noisy! And poor SIL has to get up early for work (got up to say hi to us when we got back at 2am!)

I was quite awake until about 2 hours ago, and now I have just made a strong coffee as DD is not at all sleepy...

Being awake since 5am yesterday, so that will be....er 28 hours (apart from 2 bad dozes plane)

AAAAARGH!

Oh and granny is also fast asleep, in an apartment below, completely oblivious!

oOOH HOW EXCITING.
hOW IS YOUR BACk?

My back is sore, but bearable, more localised now, some twinges down my legs, but the paramol works wonders for the pain!!! My cough is almost gone. My eyes look like I have make-up smudged under them!!!

It is exciting...I will be excited tomorrow when I have had a couple hours sleep. I can't complain as she was fantastic on the plane and while waiting to board, and through immigration, she was just fab. So a bit of non-compliance is ok.

Apart from the fact she keeps pressing buttons that play loud long music! I feel mean, she is up at what she considers a normal time, with exciting new toys to play with, and I am telling her off.... Once the kids are up, she can be noisy as she likes...

what will you do over your stay?

Well, its mainly a family one, so eat, drink, let the kids play together. DD has a cousin just 3 months younger than her, so will be great for them to play together.

I am hoping to do a bit of shopping on 5th Av, they have lots of sales on to make up for the lack of brits due to the shite exchange rate, so I am hoping it will be not much different in price than before, for some bargains at least!

I want to go see some carol singers in Bloomingdales or another large dept store, Ala Friends type of thing! And ice skating in Central Park, and make a snow-man in central park (or another park if not there).

Eat food, have a good christmas chilling out, drinking manhattans!

better today!

She slept yesterday at 4pm US time for 3 hours, had to be woken up(i guess it was night time for her body clock). She was pretty spaced out all evening, but refused to go to bed until I did at 9pm. Took her about hour to settle, even then she pretended she was just having a cuddle, not sleeping! She slept in our bed until midnight then into her bed, but woke at 2am. I was panicking thinking she was going to stay awake but she came into our bed then and went back to sleep until 5am. Much better and she is her normal self this morning. If it stays like this, I can cope with it.

I decided it would be a good idea to go to 5th Av, as the rest of the family were being a bit 'lazy'. Er, not really a good idea when you are seriously jetlagged. I went to Bloomingdales, in there for 2 hours and bought a grand total of 4 whisky glasses! Then walked down 5th Av, and bought not a jot else I started to feel like I had the flu! A good nights sleep and apart from sore feet (walked from 59th to 42nd Street) I feel fine!

WOW, Pavlov, it's Bandofmothers, long time no type, what ya doing in NY, I love NY.

Hey BoM!!!! I have exchanged words with you for a LONG TIME! How are you? What you doing for christmas? Excited?

I am visiting BIL and family, and MIL is up here from Santa Fe too. It is very cold. It was -4 yesterday. So cold the snow has frozen and is not just solid ice!!! . I was meant to be looking for gloves and hat as I left mine on the kitchen table at home, but just could not find anything. I did find some gorgeous Rock and Republic jeans...skinny ones. In a sale $40 off...$250 IN THE SALE . I guess not. Oh and a pair of Ugg Gloves for $200!!!

How long was the flight in the end?

I have family in Santa Fe! Is Cafe Pasquale's still there?

I am great, the dd's are great, very excited about xmas. Esp dd1 who was 5 last week. Just watched her do her first tap and ballet recital and I nearly cried. She's all growed up and it's very bitter sweet

Should be a great xmas though, just off into town in a bit.

Are you up cos dd is up?? Isn't it 5am there???

no sorry 6am. 5 hrs behind. I used to live in Maryland, could you just pop down there and look at it for me

The flight was 7.45 hours but included being delayed the runway for 1.5 hours - the lights all went off, then on again, and the Captain said 'sorry about that, an electrical gliche, should be back up and running soon' not like a bit of honesty to calm the nervous passengers eh? But we made up the time, so you would have been right 6.5 hours it took to fly, but they had said it would take 7.30 hours anyway, so we got in the same time (well 15 late). It was all pretty straightforward, 4 hours no traiffic to the airport, 20 mins from car to terminal, booked in online, 20 mins to check bags. Had a coffee and something to eat, on the plane off the plane, through immigration in less than an hour (a first for us! Always at least 2 hours to get out of the airport). No lost luggage either, that was waiting for us (again a first!).

DD was just fantastic - she laughed and giggled almost the entire flight apart from when she slept, then cried for about 10 mins as she could not get comfy, so ended up asleep on me. for last hour of journey. Just very patient, so I am giving her plenty of slack at this end!!!

I will ask MIL about Cafe Pasquale - I have only ever been once, and that was for one day. She has moved there from Albequerque about a year ago(dont even ask why she lived there) and we have not visited her new house yet. But she has lived tin Santa Fe before (used to own a shop there) so she is bound to know it!

BoM - yes it is now 6:09am. DD has been awake since 5am. But I am pleased with that, as yesterday, she did not sleep at all after 3 hours on the plane (before midnight US time) and a few mins in the car from the airport, not until the evening and we were getting a bit worried about her. But kids are tough aren't they, and their bodies are so good at adapting to new situations...I am impressed. I just hope it lasts!

I did not buy the gloves. I had told myself when i went in, treat yourself, don't be too shy about the money, you are on holiday...but, thats a bit too much! And the ones that were like $50, they were just plain bog standard old material gloves. Nothing special. AND it was a scrum....

We have done a few flights to new york and back with our 2 year old- generally took 3 days for his sleep patterns to get back to normal. Try and get out and get fresh air and a bit of exercise (particularly in morning and afternoon) with your DD and keep the routines you have at home and all will be fine.

Thanks for the advice dinky - we are hopefully going out inn a bit. and she is currently running around with her cousin 3 months younger, that will wear her out.